Canonical Literature Of Jainas

Author(s): H R Kapadia
Publisher: Hindi Granth Karyalay

Page 74

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REDACTION OF THE JAINA CANON
ing that the intellect, the grasping power and the retentive capacity were getting deteriorated.' Later on, it was found absolutely necessary to prepare a number of Mss. of the Jaina canonical literature. How this happened may be briefly described as under:
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It was in the time of Skandila Suri that a famine2 lasted for
12 years. Some say that it worked a havoc on the Jaina scriptures while others say that it so happened that all the principal Anuyogadharas except Skandila Suri died in Northern India. So Skandila summoned a council of Jaina saints at Mathura and made up the kaliyasuya by taking a note of whatever could be gathered from them.4 A similar attempt to this Mathuri5 or Skandili vacana was almost simultaneously made by Nagarjuna at Valabhi
1 In the Vischacunni on Nisiha, it is remarked : "मेहा - ओगहण - धारणादिपरिहाणि जाणिऊण कालिय सुयणिज्जुत्तिणिमित्तं वा पोत्थगपणगं घेप्पति । कोसो त्ति समुदाओ ।"
2
In the Jaina literature we come across references about three twelve-year famines prior to this. They occurred in the time of Bhadrabahusvamin, Arya Suhastin (c. 1'ira Samvat 291) and Vajrasvamin respectively. The first of them was terrible; for, it made all the Munis except Bhadrabahusvamin forget Ditthivaya (for details see Ch. IV). As regards the other two famines, it appears that it did not affect the knowledge of the Jaina scriptures in the case of the servivors. But these famines must have severely told upon the scarcity of food-an inference we can draw from the following lines occurring in the Cunni (pt. I. p. 404) on Avassaya:
"इतो य वइरस्वामी दक्खिणावहे विहरति, दुब्भिक्खं च जायं बारसवरिसगं सव्वतो समता छिन्नपंथा, निराधारं जातं । ताहे वइरस्वामी विजाए आहडं पिंडं तद्दिवसं आणेति”
3 Cf. the following lines occurring in the Cunni (p. 8) on Nandi:
"बारससंवच्छरीए महंते दुब्भिक्खकाले भत्तट्ठा अण्णतो ठिताणं गहण - गुणणा-ऽणुप्पहाडभावतो सुते विप्पणट्टे पुणो सुभिक्खकाले जाते 'मधुरा 'ए महंते साधुसमुदए खंदिलायरियप्पमुहसंघेण जो जं संभर त्ति एवं संघडितं कालितसुतं । जम्हा य एयं 'मधुरा'य कयं तम्हा 'माहुरा वायणा' भण्णति । X X X अण्णे भणति - जहा सुतं ण णट्टं तम्मि दुब्भिक्खकाले, जे अण्णे पहाणा अणुयोगधरा ते विणट्टा, एगे खंदिलाय रिए मंथरे, तेण 'मधुरा 'ए अणुयोगो पुण साधूणं पवत्तियो त्ति सा 'महुरा वायणा' भण्णति । "
4
It appears that this happened sometime between Vira Samvat 827 and 840.
5
As this vacana took place in the Saurasena region, it is possible that the Sauraseni Prakṛta may have influenced it.
G Ilis vācana is known as Nagarjuni or Valabhi.